This method is used by a wide range of manufacturers including Audi, Ford, Hyundai, Toyota, Rolls Royce, Volkswagen, Hitachi, Panasonic, Oakley, Samsung, and Sony. But universities and other organizations use the software, as well.

The researchers that discovered and studied ancient drawings made on the walls of caves in Altamira, Spain, have used Rapidform in order to reproduce it and share it with humanity. After a section of a cave broke off, the team decided to perform a 3D scan of the drawings and carvings. It was able to reproduce the ancient artworks using XOR, and after careful inspection by the researchers, a CNC machine carved the drawings onto foam. Finally, they fit the pieces together and produced a complete artificial cave safe for visitors.

The Technical University of Kaiserslautern in Denmark uses the software to produce ultra-high-quality physical models needed to perform aerodynamic testing in wind tunnels and out on the field, but it also produces virtual models to test using computational fluid dynamic simulation software.

The program is still improving to save mouse clicks and time with updates like XOR3 SP1. This tool will continue to expand into many other fields as 3D scanning improves and people become more familiar with what the Rapidform process entails. I, for one, would love to see modeling of biological systems or structures too intricate for engineers to design.

Is this a tool every engineer needs to have under his belt to stay competitive in the modern manufacturing industry? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

I look forward to the maturation of 3D scanning. I hope it becomes accessible, like 3D printing, to the masses. I'm sure we will see countless bootlegging of products, but that the way the world works. It may force companies to create better products, beyond the quality of household printing.

I foresee someone taking the 3D scanned caves and building the places into their homes. Imagine if part of our homes were an accurate recreation of Werner Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams."

That was one of my favorite Herzog movies, and one of the few I've ever wanted to see in 3D (although we didn't get to). He is an odd duck, but definitely a genius--who else would have thought to make that movie? Having part of Altamira, Lascaux or Chauvet in one's living room would be an amazing experience.

Herzog is definitely a nut, but a creative, innovative one. I'd forgotten the crack about crocodiles--that was weird. If you mean the D-Shape 3D printer or others of its type, like I wrote about in a recent Future Cities blog http://www.ubmfuturecities.com/author.asp?section_id=262&doc_id=523906 they don't actually print stone, but some of its constituent materials: e.g., sand, gravel, or clay, using a binder. But that said, whatever came out of it would look like the real thing.

The D-Shape is definitely art-oriented, and also architecture oriented. If you look at the stuff the inventor has done with it, like fancy, swirly shaped architectural elements, I think it would be the perfect candidate for our cave art wall.

I wonder if there will be some fuss made about the ability to copy things without having to design them. Right now we have all kinds of inconveniences and limitations because of the crybabies. We have digital rights management code deciding if we can make a copy to keep in the car, or transfer to a different media, or make our own collection of music. Likewise with DVDs. And you just can't play a CD from other parts of the world, no matter how legal it is.

So just imagine the howels when somebody produces a copy of some overpriced item. We will have an interesting situation indeed. Imagine a "duplicate" Rolex watch, if you will. Of course, the quality may be really hard to copy, but not the image and appearance. At least that is how it looks to me. And just imagine what it would be like if somebody could copy some of the more serious military weapons. Grab one and scan it and then print out and asemble dozens.

So digital bootleging may inspire some sort of regulations, but I can't imagine how they would work.

Cabe--Great article. I have spent hour upon hour measuring dimensions from actual part configurations to produce drawings. Early in my career, I was a team member given the task of reproducing drawings after a fire that destroyed much of the data base for many of the products manufactured by our company. Back in those days everything was "paper", no CAD, etc etc. We, of course, did have copies but many of those were unreliable for various reasons. This project took the better part of six months and was a painstaking process. I will say one thing, as a "rookie" engineer, I certainly did get the feel for the products we were manufacturing and that greatly aided my efforts in understanding design processes and reasons for certain features. We certainly could have used the software from Rapidform 3D at that time.

Virtual Reality (VR) headsets are getting ready to explode onto the market and it appears all the heavy tech companies are trying to out-develop one another with better features than their competition. Fledgling start-up Vrvana has joined the fray.

A Tokyo company, Miraisens Inc., has unveiled a device that allows users to move virtual 3D objects around and "feel" them via a vibration sensor. The device has many applications within the gaming, medical, and 3D-printing industries.

While every company might have their own solution for PLM, Aras Innovator 10 intends to make PLM easier for all company sizes through its customization. The program is also not resource intensive, which allows it to be appropriated for any use. Some have even linked it to the Raspberry Pi.

solidThinking updated its Inspire program with a multitude of features to expedite the conception and prototype process. The latest version lets users blend design with engineering and manufacturing constraints to produce the cheapest, most efficient design before production.

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